17

Luke and I are leaving the icy weather of Chicago for a few days of warm Caribbean air with friends and family. But since there are still a couple more days to go until I step outside without my down winter coat; I finished up a little neck kerchief. I used Rowan felted tweed and a pattern from the January issue of Martha Stewart Living.
I also gifted these oven hot pads to my boss for her birthday. She has mentioned her interest in modern quilting, and since I didn't have energy to make her an entire quilt these seemed like a happy medium.

16

Sometimes a free afternoon should require no real thinking or pressure to be overly creative, and in comes paint-by-number. Last summer my mother mailed me this kit from Posh Chicago. The designs have a fantastic vintage vibe.

15

The holidays were full of all the wonderful holiday things you'd expect, cookies, parties, gifts, waking up at ungodly late hours, ham, rummikub & yahtzee, good wine, lots of reading, and most importantly family.

Besides an annual sleepover with our nephew and niece, we also tagged along on a couple delightful and festive adventures with them...

Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo (yes, quite cold out as their faces tell all)

& Ice Skating in Millennium Park

And on other fronts I did indeed finish the mittens for my niece and forged right ahead into a pair of cozy alpaca socks for me (so selfish).